Gong - You (1974)

Steve:

Gong remain one of the most beloved progressive rock bands from their time. They combined the goofy whimsy of the Canterbury bands (leader Daevid Allen was an original member of The Soft Machine) with the sci-fi austerity of heavier bands such as Magma. Gong may have seemed a bit off-the-cuff with their whimsy, but they also were serious world-builders with a fantasy/science fiction concept adding thematic unity and weight to their vision.

You represents the climax of what I consider the band's second phase - the first phase had been quite raw and almost garage-rock, while the second phase brought in more skilled musicians, particularly guitarist Steve Hillage and percussionist Pierre Moerlen, both of whom would eventually lead prolific bands of their own. 

My initial experience with Gong was a bumpy one. The first album I heard was in my college radio station's record collection, Expresso (the US equivalent of Gazeuse!), which is a fantastic mallet percussion-based jazz fusion album from the late 70s with Allan Holdsworth on guitar. Expresso was entirely unrepresentative of their "classic" prog period. My second Gong album was an archival CD (The History and Mystery of the Planet Gong), consisting of a variety of radio sessions and random live recordings from the 60s focusing on the early Daevid Allen-led material as well as some of his later solo material in the 70s. In short, the two albums represented entirely different bands, and I admit to being confused at the time. Back in those days, you took what you could find.

Eventually, the Radio Gnome Trilogy albums (now acknowledged as the backbone of the Gong legacy) became available on CD, and it became clear why Gong was so highly regarded in progressive rock circles. You is the last chapter in this trilogy, and the instrumental fireworks detonated on this album represent some of the finest space rock of its era. More furiously paced than Pink Floyd, more complex than Hawkwind, and more lyrical than Tangerine Dream, You combines the best of all three and then stamps it with their own whimsical personality.

You begins deceptively - the first two tracks are short vocal tracks operating in silly mode, but then the album escapes the Earth's atmosphere, never to return. "Master Builder" is the first major piece, a repetitive droning riff in an odd meter, over which Moerlen superimposes swift polyrhythmic drumming and the rest of the band offer exciting sax and guitar solos. "A Sprinkling of Clouds" is a showcase for synth player Tim Blake, who builds beguiling layers of overlapping lines to create a hypnotic rhythm, eventually ushering in the rest of the band who turn it into a space groove to die for.  

"The Isle of Everywhere" begins side 2 with more patient pacing - not so much a race through the stars as a pleasant float through the cosmos. Finally, "You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever" finishes the album with the first vocals since the beginning of the record, offering a relatively tough rock edge across another long-form piece.  

You's combination of driving space rock and jazz fusion soloing puts it in a unique class among its mid-70s progressive rock peers. Its innovations would later inspire the likes of such insanely prolific modern bands as Ozric Tentacles, Acid Mothers Temple, and even techno/electronica bands, proving their ongoing relevance well beyond the 1970s progressive rock scene. Among the classic prog bands, only Can has been more influential on music from the 80s onward.

For a naïve yet more thorough overview of Gong, you could do worse than read the overview I wrote for Exposé over 20 years ago and which has been memorialized on the Gnosis web site: Gnosis2000.net - Gong

Dan:

Thanks to Steve, I have three Gong albums in my collection: You, Gazeuse!, and Shamal. You is my favorite, although I have a sentimental attachment to Gazeuse! and the now absent Expresso II because I used to have those LPs back in the 70s. You see, I'm attracted to the sound of the vibraphone within a jazz context. Pierre Moerlen is an excellent vibes player and he apparently reshaped Gong into a jazz fusion group. You more accurately summarizes the multifarious phases of Gong in one terrific album.

It's also a very likeable album. Although that may sound like faint praise, I am often turned off by records that I have to work too hard to appreciate. There's nothing superficial or "lite" about the music on You. I prefer to think of it as a logical progression of a band that consolidates their early goofiness with their later instrumental prowess.